Zootopia - Blu-ray Review

Details: By Loron Hays; 04 March 2016

{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}

[tab title="Movie Review"]

Zootopia - Movie Review

{googleAds}

It is safe to say that Disney's Zootopia is the shot in the arm that the animated community needed. It's exciting, funny, and completely (without apologies, mind you) subversive at each and every turn. Whip-smart and wild, it's the one sure thing this weekend when it comes to family entertainment. Take the kids. Buy the popcorn. Zootopia delivers the goods.

Directed by Byron Howard (Tangled) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph), Zootopia offers a unique take on diversity as Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), the first rabbit to join the police force in the bustling city of Zootopia, becomes friends with Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a wily fox, as they work double-time to protect the estab;ished peace between all the pants-wearing predators and their chosen prey.

In the metropolis of Zootopia – according to Jared Bush and Phil Johnston's screenplay – the status quo is a very good and peaceful thing. And why not protect it? With a nod to diversity and tolerance and everything that Donald Trump is not, the movie dares its audience to be more than what their peers see them as. It is a challenge that the characters in the movie wrestle with and, ultimately, answer themselves. While a lot of the more serious stuff will fly over the wee heads of the littlest ones in the audience, there's much for EVERYONE to appreciate.

Which makes it THE animated film to keep your eye on this year. It's going to be remembered for quite some time - especially when you consider the current state of our social climate.

Following a sort of film noir pattern, this animated yarn smartly references classics of the genre and adds an exciting blast of color to the typical city beat a cop patrols. The animals are vibrant and exciting and highly imaginative. From counter clerk sloths with peculiar senses of humor to pop star Shakira as a gazelle, there's a spirit of wickedness surrounding this project that keeps it both edgy and unpredictable.

This is a very courageous film and Disney – who did some late in the hour changes that proved to be successful – is to be applauded for having the cojones to release it as is. Featuring the voice talents of Maurice LaMarche, Nate Torrence, Tommy Chong, and Idris Elba as Judy's boss, Zootopia is surprisingly untamed in its approach to your traditional narrative. The environments of the city are already lush and expansive but the narrative itself is a masterful stroke.

It is a script that tackles discrimination, profiling, sexism, and identity. Sounds heavy, right? Well it is but it handles the striking material in a creative manner, making it both clever and silly. Children will be engaged from beginning to end as this divided city – separated by climate – becomes a target for some underworld shady shenanigans. This is where we dispense with the cute stuff and take some dark turns and the payoff is alarmingly smart. Primal fear and instinct kicks in and watch as the animals and their responses mirror our own.

Disney does it again. Zootopia is a masterpiece.

[/tab]

[tab title="Film Details"]

MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements, rude humor and action.
Runtime: 108 mins
Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore
Writer: Jared Bush
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba
Genre: Family | Animated | Comedy
Tagline: Welcome to the urban jungle....
Memorable Movie Quote: "It's not about how badly you WANT something. It's about what you are capable of!"
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Site: http://movies.disney.com/zootopia
Release Date: March 4, 2016
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: June 7, 2016
Synopsis: The modern mammal metropolis of Zootopia is a city like no other. Comprised of habitat neighborhoods like ritzy Sahara Square and frigid Tundratown, it's a melting pot where animals from every environment live together—a place where no matter what you are, from the biggest elephant to the smallest shrew, you can be anything. But when optimistic Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) arrives, she discovers that being the first bunny on a police force of big, tough animals isn't so easy. Determined to prove herself, she jumps at the opportunity to crack a case, even if it means partnering with a fast-talking, scam-artist fox, Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), to solve the mystery.

[/tab]

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Zootopia - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - June 7, 2016
Screen Formats: 2.40:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD; iTunes digital copy; Digital copy; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region-free playback

Like there was any doubt Disney would put an animated feature out on blu-ray that didn’t simply amaze with eye-popping colors! Zootopia’s 1080p transfer is pristine. Presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, the transfer supports a MPEG-4 AVC encode and vivid textures and colors abound as new visual depths are plundered and interesting looks at animals are unearthed. Colors soak the screen with amazing clarity and lines are carved in such a manner that there is absolutely no bleeding. The sound – revealed here in a stunning DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack – never gives up with its immersive experience. Dialogue is clean, crisp, and the soundtrack roars to life for a truly floor-shaking experience.

Supplements:

Commentary:

None

Special Features:

Disney, with the featurettes included here, does not disappoint. From actually immersing the artists and creators into the animals’ natural habitat to a good look at some of the deleted scenes, the blu-ray release – which also includes DVD copy of the film and a digital copy – is one that people are sure to enjoy and want to own. A music video of “Try Everything" by Shakira is also included.